More Hispanics Needed in Public Health 

By Adela N. González, MPA


Closing the Gap, Putting the Right People in the Right Places • May/June 1999


I

t’s been a decade since the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published The Future of Public Health. That report noted that our 

public health system lacked leadership and local public health 

agencies lack trained public health professionals. We still have a long 

way to go. 

The variations and inadequacies of the public health system are 

most apparent at the local community level. In Texas, a shortage of 

public health nurses, social workers, and public health physicians is 

most apparent in rural areas and the Texas/Mexico border region. 

With a population of more than one million, the South Texas Border 

region lacks a public hospital, school of public health, and medical 

school. 

Fortunately, the current workforce’s capacity to meet future needs 

as we approach the 21st century is at the top of the list for state public 

health officials. The Texas State Health Plan is dedicated to workforce 

development goals and objectives this year. 

A changing population 

It’s also important to consider the increasing diversity among the 

country’s population. Communities are in a state of continual change 

with the growing numbers of ethnic, racial, and immigrant populations. It’s critical that health educators understand the cultural characteristics and close family ties among the Latino population. For example, treatment and education strategies for diabetics work best in 

familial rather than in individualistic settings. 

Cultural competency skills also mean understanding ethnic variations among the Latinos in this country. Health risks and prevalence 

of disease vary among Latinos for diseases such as cancer, heart disease, 

and diabetes. 

The Latino population is projected to grow to more than 41 

million by the year 2010, or thirteen percent of the U.S. population. 

This growth is most apparent in the Southwest, California, Florida 

and New York. Health professionals must resist a “one-size-fits-all” 

approach to health care because our Latino population is representative of many different Central and South American countries, Mexico, 

Spain, Cuba and Puerto Rico. 

Most Latinos in Texas are of Mexican decent, with a growing 

population of Central and South Americans in the metro-areas of 

Houston and Dallas. The changes in population patterns require public 

health workers to accommodate the changes, remove language barriers, and promote access to care. 

In a 1996 report prepared for the legislature, Texas Challenged: 

The Implications of Population Change for Public Service Demands in 

Texas, the state’s demographer reported statistics relative to the population growth for Texas. In 1994, the state’s population was estimated 

at 18.4 million and is projected to be 33 million by the year 2030. A 

key factor is the growth in immigration from other states in this country, along with immigration from other countries. 

The projected growth among minorities will be 87 percent. The 

number of Latinos will increase by 25.7 percent and comprise 45.9 

percent of the total population. The combination of this growth and 

projections of low rates of educational attainment, poverty, and high 

incidences of disease, could have alarming consequences for the state. 

Increasing number of public health students and faculty 

The challenge we face in Texas is to address those issues that can 

minimize negative outcomes for Latinos. Currently, Latinos in Texas 

are among the poorest, most uninsured, underemployed, and uneducated. This trend will not sustain the state’s economy in future years. 

An educated workforce that can contribute to our economy is an 

attainable goal if appropriate funded programs are put in place in our 

educational systems. An educated workforce also presents an opportunity to increase the numbers of Latinos in different health professions. The shortage of Latinos in the health professions is a challenge 

that cannot be ignored. 

A 1995 study on the public health workforce in Texas conducted by the Center for Health Policy Studies, School of Public 

Health, University of Texas, found that there were approximately 

17,700 public health professionals in the Texas workforce. Latinos 

comprised 12.6 percent and African Americans comprised 10.3 percent of the public health workforce. The appalling underrepresentation 

is evident when one compares 12.6 percent with the state’s population of Latinos—25 percent. African Americans comprised 10 percent of the Texas population in 1995. 

The schools of public health in Texas must address and correct 

this disparity. One Texas institution is already addressing this issue. 

The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth 

has a new School of Public Health that aims to recruit and matriculate 

underrepresented minorities to achieve parity with the population. 

This means minority student enrollment should reach 41 percent by 

the year 2005. Currently, minority enrollment is at 25 percent in the 

MPH program. The school also intends to increase minority representation in a faculty that is already one-third minority. The outcome: 

More trained Latino and African American public health professionals in the Texas workforce. 

For more information, call the University of North Texas Health 

Science Center’s School of Public Health at (817) 735-2252. 

Ms. González is vice president for administration and institutional 

diversity of the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort 

Worth.

Office of Minority Health Resource Center U.S. Department of Health and Human Services